


"you listen to podcasts, right?"

by tal_5



Series: podcast au [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Fluff, Friendship, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Podcast, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23568169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tal_5/pseuds/tal_5
Summary: Virgil is moderately content with his life. His job sucks, but so do most jobs. He's hopelessly single, but he doesn't really have the energy for a relationship right now. And his social life is as active as it's ever going to be with his small group of friends.But one morning, he receives a text from Logan Stewart, a high school classmate he reconnected with six months earlier.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders
Series: podcast au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696408
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	"you listen to podcasts, right?"

**Author's Note:**

> warnings: strong language/swearing, true crime mention, paranormal mention, conspiracy mention and supernatural mention (not tv show lmao)

Virgil really hates Thursdays. And this Thursday in particular is just one to be given up on before the sun even has a chance to hit his window.

But it does; a soft light peaking through his blinds and bending across his covers until he turns over, faces the window and immediately curses out the sun. There’s just no need for it to blind him so early in the morning! Even so, he has nothing better to do, so he slips out from under his blankets and groggily slinks into the kitchen to fix up some cereal.

He’s washing his face with a cheap facial wash from Walmart when he suddenly receives a text, hearing the familiar tone from his bedroom. The corner of his bed sheets are glowing a radioactive blue and his chest feels a little tight; an automatic response to any new text message or phone call.

The screen reads:

> ‘ _You listen to podcasts, right?’_

Virgil frowns, noting the message is from Logan Stewart, a friend he’s only known for a few months. Well, he’s known of Logan’s _existence_ since their sophomore year of high school when he’d moved to Boston, but they only started talking around six months ago.

> _‘yeah, why?’_

He doesn’t get an answer for eight hours, which both sends his heart into a panicked frenzy and relieves the confusion in his mind. How is he supposed to work with such a heavy weight in his chest?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is ‘badly’.

Work is the same as it is every day, just endless stacks of paperwork and uncomfortable phone calls to different clients. Stuck-up managers and semi-tolerable supervisors, though there is Tanisha. She’s probably the only supervisor he’d ever call a ‘friend’ and even that's a stretch.

“Are you alright?” she asks, stepping up to his desk and handing him a short pile of papers. Her accent emphasises the 'L' in alright and for some reason, that’s something he always seems to notice and secretly loves. “You’ve been spaced out most of the morning.”

He sighs and shrugs loosely, not comfortable enough to get too into his personal life with his supervisor. “Sorry, I’m okay. I’m just waiting for a reply to something.”

With a curt nod and a smile so polite he has to stifle a cringe, she turns and hurries back to her own desk. She can be sweet when she wants to be and she’s definitely one of the better supervisors, but somewhere in those dark eyes promises death if he ever gets on her bad side. Therefore, he keeps his work and personal lives completely separate.

Lunch is long and uncomfortable, what, with so many eyes watching him eat his sandwich, and there’s still no text from Logan. He tugs at a loose thread peeking out of his jacket sleeve and frowns, scanning his surroundings to find a distraction from the ice in his stomach. He finds it in a girl with split dyed hair. It’s so cool; orange on the left and a soft pink-ish red on the right. Like a blazing sunset.

Afterwards, it’s quite easy to find features he likes about several people in his area, successfully grounding himself in the moment. Lunch ends too soon and he drags himself back inside the building, feeling that weight reform inside his chest.

* * *

The day is insufferably long, but when he gets home that evening, he switches his phone back on only to see a notification on his screen. A message from Logan. Finally.

> _‘Would you be interested in starting one?’_

Start one? Like, actually buy audio equipment to talk into? What would they even talk about? Neither of them have lived particularly interesting lives, Virgil especially. Though, he shouldn’t really speak for Logan about something like that. He hasn’t known Logan long enough to know for certain whether he has experiences exciting enough to talk about on a podcast. He waits for a while, pondering the idea of starting a podcast and what it could be about, over and over until there’s an ache behind his eyes.

It’s two hours later when he finally texts back, not with an answer, but a question: 

> _‘about what?’_

Logan begins replying at a much faster pace.

> _‘Well, you’re interested in the paranormal and in true crime stories, as am I. So, we could explore those topics.’_

Eyebrows knitting together, Virgil leans into the back cushions of his couch.

> _‘you don’t believe in the paranormal tho’_

And again, Logan replies a lot faster than he did earlier, and Virgil doesn't know whether that's infuriating or relieving. Couldn't he have been this quick at replying before he had to wait an entire eight hours at his mediocre job?

> _‘No, but you do. And I am fascinated by the topic.’_

Virgil stares at his screen for what feels like hours before he places his phone down on his coffee table. He has to mull this over. Thousands of people could listen to it. Two people could listen to it. No one could listen to it. And, honestly, Virgil doesn’t know which one is worse.

How many people are interested in topics so dark and upsetting? Probably a lot more than he thinks. But what if it’s insensitive? Or, what if a survivor contacts them with a complaint of some sort? Most of the time, Virgil is barely conscious enough to consider what he’s saying before he says it, and although it’s embarrassing to have a few others witness it, it would be absolutely mortifying for so many complete strangers to hear it!

Do they even have the funding? Audio equipment costs a fuck tonne of money and software isn’t much better. Where would they even post it? Do they need some sort of permission to post to Spotify? What about Apple Podcasts, do they need permission to post there?

Everything is pointing to declining Logan’s offer, but just as he picks up his phone to do so, a thought pops into his head.

Maybe it’ll be fun?

Talking about something he loves and is so passionate about for people who may feel the same way, and with someone who cares about it too? And he could get to know Logan _properly_. He’s always seemed like such a laid back and overall _nice_ guy, so wouldn’t it be cool to have a friend like him?

Chewing on his lip, he types into his phone, taking a deep breath as his finger pauses over 'send’. Logan could be mad if he changed his mind. If he presses 'send’ now, there’s probably no going back. He presses send.

And it’s the most terrifying and exciting thing he’s ever done.


End file.
